1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to image forming techniques and, more particularly, to an image forming apparatus, such as a copy machine, a printer, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a compound machine or a combination machine, a terminal apparatus such as a personal computer, an information processing method, an information processing program, and a recording medium such as an SD card or a CD-ROM storing programs for performing the information processing program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a compound machine and a combination machine provided with functions as a copy machine, a printer, a scanner and a facsimile machine have been placed on the market. The compound machine and the combination machine have a hardware that serves as an image taking part, a printing part, a communication part, an operation and display part, etc., and are provided with four kinds of software associated with a copy machine, a printer, a scanner and a facsimile machine so that the compound machine and the combination machine function as a copy machine, a printer, a scanner or a facsimile machine by changing the software being used. When functioning as a copy machine or a printer, the compound machine and the combination machine form an image on a printing paper or the like. When functioning as a copy machine or a scanner, the compound machine and the combination machine read an image on an original document to be read. When functioning as a facsimile machine, the compound machine and the combination machine exchange image data with other remote equipments through a telephone line or the like. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-84383 discloses such a compound machine or a combination machine.
As a mode of carrying out an application in the compound machine or the combination machine, although “one process for one application” in which a single application is executed on a single process is a main stream, “one process for a plurality applications”, in which a plurality of applications are executed on one process, has been appearing. However, in a case where image processing of one process for a plurality of applications is performed in a system premising one process for one application, an application management system directed to one process for one application cannot manage each of the applications of one process for a plurality of applications, and it is required to provide an application management system directed to one process for a plurality of applications. As appreciated from the above-mentioned example, the compound machine and the combination machine require an application management system according to a mode for carrying out applications.